


The Singing Yew

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 09:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20190070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: After Daine runs off, Ydris goes in search of him. Daine belongs to HellishSam and lyrics are from You and I by Barns Courtney.





	The Singing Yew

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HellishSam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellishSam/gifts).

It wasn't often that Ydris voluntarily chose to leave he house and ride somewhere on his own. But Daine had been gone for hours now, and he was starting to get worried. Not that it was getting dark, but... it just wasn't like Daine to disappear like this. Not since they'd gotten married, anyway.

"Zee, my dear, will you allow me to ride you?" Ydris asked, stepping into the small stable that Daine had. Cloud was missing, as Ydris had hoped. So Daine hadn't gone too far or gone to do something too reckless, then- if he was going anywhere that might being danger to himself, he'd take the car.

Zee huffed a breath at Ydris, rolling her eyes before turning around in her stall so that Ydris could lead her out. Not that she really needed leading, but Ydris liked to at least pretend that she was an ordinary horse. Couldn't risk someone stealing one of his precious fellow Pandorians. Nevertheless, he quickly let go of her bridle to place a saddlepad and saddle on her back before he walked outside and mounted her. The first few times he'd done this, Zee had complained, saying that she wasn't a simple animal and how dare he do this to her. But now, possibly because she could see how concerned he was, Zee didn't say a word. Not that she could in this form but, well. Details.

"Where could he have gone?" Ydris murmured to himself, looking around in the gathering twilight. The sun was still bright enough to make Ydris squint, and he hoped that wherever Daine was, he was wearing sunglasses. And that the sun wouldn't get in Cloud's eyes too much.

Hoping that Daine may have stayed close to home, Ydris set out away from Daine's South Hoof home, headed in the direction of the bridge to new Hillcrest. Daine never took the bus to the city, but he never knew. Besides, Ydris knew that Daine secretly liked to ride with the wild herd sometimes to just relax and unwind. Smiling at the thought of how soft his husband could be despite his prickly exterior, Ydris gazed out across the land, squinting in the bright sunlight and keeping an ear out for the sound of horses. But it was oddly empty, today. Where were all the horses? Ydris remembered, suddenly, that Daine had told him about a man named Anwir who'd once kidnapped the wild ponies from South Hoof, but he'd been caught, hadn't he? Or turned into a monster. That whole thing had been weird. And then, another thought struck Ydris, so scary that he froze in his seat and tapped into his power. No, there wasn't... there was no way that a Pandorian rift or portal could have opened here. He couldn't detect anything. Sighing in relief, Ydris nudged Zee into a canter, ignoring her protests that he could have just asked.

As he rode closer to the huge, ancient tree that filled him with a sense of amazement, Ydris finally heard something other than the sound of the wind in his ears and the sound of Zee's breathing (and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as anxiety rose in him). Was that Lisa? But no, that was definitely a man's voice singing. It was music, the simple sound of a guitar strumming and a man's voice singing. Ydris recognised that voice, and his heart leaped into his throat. Fortunately, the sound was carried to him on the ever-present breeze, so Ydris had plenty of time to dismount and quietly approach the source of the sound.

_"Suitcase in your hand  
Wave goodbye to mom and dad  
Never thought I would see the back of you  
Mixtape's wearing down  
Crystal ships are sailing out  
Now the doors are opening for you"_

From a short distance away, half-hidden behind one of the large roots that arched up out of the ground, Ydris could see a sight that almost brought tears to his eyes. There was Daine, reclining against Cloud in a herd of sleeping ponies, gently strumming his guitar and singing. But then, the wind changed direction, carrying with it the sound of Daine's voice. Frowning at not being able to hear the words, Ydris crept a little closer, his heart thumping in his ears for a different reason now. Fortunately, Zee stayed back, giving the men their privacy and rolling her eyes in a very human gesture at how her friend was fawning over this guy. Ydris paid no attention, though, sinking onto his knees and holding to the tree's root with one hand as he let the lyrics wash over him.

_"I wanna swim, swim out into the dark night  
I wanna melt you down into the stars  
I wanna crumble, tumble like a landslide  
I wanna live, die wherever you are_

_Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, just you and I, I"_

Part of Ydris wondered who the song was meant for, if anyone. Maybe it was about Cole? Daine had sung about him before, Ydris knew that. And yet, whenever Ydris had asked if Daine sung for him, he'd always shut it down, saying that Ydris didn't deserve Daine's feeble attempts at love songs. Part of Ydris had always known that Daine was lying about that, trying to save face or something equally ridiculous. But Ydris knew well how hard it was sometimes to open your heart. How nerve-wracking it could be.

_"Lovesick melody, carry my words across the sea  
Tell her I miss her, tell her I'm torn in two  
Salt burns in my eyes, none of these streets feel right tonight  
I'll be your Robin, you'll be my baby blue_

_I wanna swim, swim deep into the dark night  
I wanna melt you down into the stars  
I wanna crumble, tumble like a landslide  
I wanna live, die wherever you are_

_Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, just you and I, I"_

Now, the words stung Ydris' heart, bringing tears to his eyes. He rose to his feet on somewhat-shaky legs before striding towards his husband. A few of the ponies picked up their heads and nickered at him, though none moved, oddly enough. Or, well, some moved. Just enough for Ydris to walk up to his husband. He could sing too, not that he did it often.

_"Well, I know they said I'm bad news  
That I wouldn't treat you right  
Got no money in my pocket  
Guess I have to hitch a ride  
I would flag down any motorist  
I'd run the whole damn fight_

_For you and I, you and I, you and I  
Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, I, I, I (Just you and I)  
Just you and I, just you and I, I"_

"You found me," said Daine, setting his guitar to one side. Though he'd looked angry when he'd left earlier after a fight over something stupid, now, Daine looked calm. Well, as calm as he could look with eyes red from tears or something else.

"I had to," said Ydris, still standing before him. Daine sniffed, looking down at his feet. Ydris knelt in front of him on one knee, lifting Daine's chin to look into his eyes. Eyes that matched the colour of the sky, which hurt to see. Hurt to know that he was the cause of it again. "You know that I can't abandon my phoenix. Not anymore."

"At least you finally learned that," said Daine, his voice rough.

"May I sit beside you?" Ydris asked.

"Maybe I want you to stay on your knees for a bit in penance," said Daine, his eyes flashing. But just as quickly, that fire faded away. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. Sit your ass down if you don't mind getting your pants dirty."

"I would walk through a storm to find you," said Ydris, his voice dripping sincerity.

"Yeah, I know, I saw that before," said Daine, his eyes dropping back to the ground now that Ydris had let go of his chin. He tried not to react as Ydris sat down beside him, but the warmth of his body so close was too tempting for Daine to not settle into.

"Will you tell me what is bothering you?" Ydris asked, taking Daine's hand gently. Daine allowed it to be taken, rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

"Yeah," said Daine. He rested his head on Ydris' shoulder, the earlier anger gone now. Well, mostly. All that remained was dregs.

"I am sorry if it was something that I did," said Ydris. "I did not see how upset you were earlier, and I pushed you too far." Daine sniffed, closing his eyes. Behind him, Cloud nickered in concern for his 'father'.

"It's not that," said Daine. "Or not just that, anyway. It's... the anniversary of his death."

"Oh," said Ydris. Suddenly, his earlier actions came rushing back to him, how he'd been so callous in trying to get Daine to cuddle with him for a bit of Jorflix and Chill. How could he have forgotten? it wasn't like this was the first time they'd been together for the anniversary of Cole's death, but... time moved so quickly sometimes. "I should have known."

"Not really your fault," said Daine. "Might need to start writing it on a fucking calendar or something so you remember."

"Such a date should not be remembered," said Ydris. Behind them, Cloud shifted in discomfort as Daine's body heated up. Daine snatched his hand away, getting to his feet. Ydris followed, scrambling to his feet and hurrying after his husband, who looked like he was about to kill someone. The herd dispersed, getting in Ydris' way several times so that he feared he might never reach his husband. "Daine, wait!"

"Look, I dunno what things are like in your culture since you don't tell me shit but in my culture, we remember the dead!" Daine snapped at him, the wind blowing in his face. His eyes were glowing, and in the gathering darkness, it looked eerie. He looked like the monster that he'd once thought he was. And Ydris desperately wished that he wasn't such a coward, that he could control his body and not flinch. At the sight of it, a wall seemed to come down, and Daine staggered slightly. And then, he summoned his wings, burning a hole in his sweater, and flew away. Ydris tore his coat off and followed in hot pursuit, a single black feather fluttering down and landing on Cloud's nose. The gelding looked up and nickered at the retreating duo.

"Daine, I'm sorry!" Ydris called after his husband, easily catching up to him. Daine only looked at him, tears still in his eyes, and flew in another direction.

By the time Ydris caught up to Daine sitting at the very top of Cape Sorrow, the night sky matched Daine's wings.

"I wish you wouldn't care so much," said Daine, his arms wrapped around himself as he turned away from his husband. But he could still see their reflection in the water far below.

"Caring can be both a blessing and a curse," said Ydris. "I believe you taught me that."

"More of a curse with me," said Daine. "This whole thing is my fault. I should've reminded you what day it was."

"No, I should have remembered," said Ydris. He reached a wing out, drawing his husband closer to him. Daine allowed it to happen, closing his eyes even as self-loathing made more tears creep down his cheeks.

"Humans in most cultures remember their dead, they don't forget them," said Daine. "It's our way of honouring them. Of remembering everything they were, and keeping their memory alive. Only, most of the time, the death day is remembered as something peaceful. Not a reminder of how much I fucked up. My love killed him."

"No it didn't," said Ydris. "You said that those men gunned him down for his association with you?"

"No, because they thought he was me," said Daine. "Yeah, this huge fucking Italian guy is definitely a red-haired little twink."

"How do you know this?" Ydris asked.

"How the fuck do you think I know?" Daine snapped. "After I found him, I fucking snapped. I almost killed the guy but something held me back. Maybe it was his ghost, I don't know. Just- that's why this day always fucks me up so much. And I don't want you to touch me but then if you leave, I remember how I didn't see Cole at all that day and I just don't know what I want."

"Perhaps I could keep close to you but not touch?" Ydris asked. "Unless you ask for it, of course. Much as I want nothing more than to take you into my arms and soothe you."

Somehow, despite everything, those words were Daine's undoing. He turned and buried his head in Ydris' shoulder, sobbing as he held him tightly.

"How do you manage to put up with me?" Daine asked once he could speak again. "Hell, I don't even know how I put up with me half the time."

"Love is worth it," said Ydris, stroking Daine's back. "And, by the way, you are a very good singer." Daine sniffed.

"So are you," said Daine. "Should do a fucking duet."

"I am ever the performer," said Ydris. Daine finally cracked a small smile as he buried his head in Ydris' chest.

"I love you," said Daine. "Sorry for running off on you. And then flying off."

"And I am sorry for being so insensitive," said Ydris. "I love you too, Daniel. More than you can ever imagine."

"I don't know why," said Daine. "I know I don't make it easy."

"Love is not easy," said Ydris. "But it is worth it, I can say that with confidence.

And, though they should have gone home, the two remained sitting on that island for a while, Daine with his head resting on Ydris' shoulder and Ydris' wing still wrapped around him. Despite how quiet it was out here, for once, Daine's thoughts didn't threaten to drown him with how loud they were. Whatever the reason, Daine was glad for it. And glad for the man beside him, no matter how much heartache he'd caused him. Ydris was right- love was worth it.


End file.
